Christian Petersen/Getty Images(NEW ORLEANS) — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell addressed the state of the NFL on Friday. Goodell has been under much criticism for the way he has handled player safety as numerous former players are suing the league.

Goodell responded to President Barack Obama’s player safety concerns that he voiced in an interview in The Republic.

“I welcome the President’s comments because it has been a priority and we want to make sure people understand what we’re doing to make our game safer, not just in the NFL, but throughout sports,” Goodell said on Friday.

“It’s very important for us to maintain our integrity in our brand,” Goodell continued. “We expect the people that are involved with our game from the commissioners to the players to the coaches to make sure that they uphold those standards.”

Goodell also said he believes HGH testing will happen prior to the 2013 NFL season in wake of the MLB announcing that they will begin in-season testing at the start of their season come April.

“It’s the right thing to do for the players, for their health and well being long-term,” said Goodell. “It’s the right thing to do for the integrity of the game and it’s also the right thing to do to send the right message to everybody else in sports.”